Day 27: Genesis 25-26; Matthew 18:1-20

Isn’t it interesting how we fall into the same habits as our parents? This was true for Isaac, and I have to say it’s true for me as well. In today’s reading, we see something that looks hauntingly similar to some earlier events.

Consider this following passage:

"So Isaac stayed in Gerar. When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, ‘She is my sister.’ He was afraid to say, ‘She is my wife.’ He thought, ‘They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful.’ But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah. Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, ‘She is obviously your wife! Why did you say, “She is my sister”?’ ‘Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me,’ Isaac replied. ‘How could you do this to us?’ Abimelech exclaimed. ‘One of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin.’ Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation: ‘Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death!’" (Genesis 26: 6-11).

Sound familiar? Isaac fell into the same fear that consumed his father Abraham. He became worried about his own safety, and so he lied about his wife being his sister.

Well, I haven’t lied about my husband being my brother, but I have dealt with "worrying” my entire life. This is a trait I come by quite naturally. My mother was a worrier and her mother was a worrier.

I’ve found something about worrying. It’s never a good thing. When I start worrying too much, I stop letting God work in my life. I take a situation into my hands, and it never works out well in the end. This is true for Isaac and for Abraham as well. They really had no reason to lie about their wives, but they were worrying, and so they took things into their own hands.

What traits have your parents passed on to you? Are these good or bad things? Do you ever need to give these things back to God?

Prayer: Lord, please take away my worrying. As you say in Matthew 6:25-27, worrying does not add a single moment to our lives. You are in control of everything, so I give control back to you today.